Next Island Group, Unlocked! (Tuamotus!)

We’re in the Tuamotus!

Current view from galley porthole

Left the Marquesas at 7 am on the morning of May  29, destination Amanu atoll in the Tuamotus.

Spires at Ua Pou, Marquesas

546 miles in a little over 4 days doesn’t come close to describing the shift. From jagged otherworldly green peaks that disappear into the clouds, to flat palm-tree-the-highest-point white sand beach fringed atolls. Anchorages that open up with no warning to passes that flash danger signs with standing waves.

Sailing in the atoll

The passage had a little bit of almost everything, though all forward of the beam sailing. We had flat calm, glorious ghosting (especially the last few hours to get to the anchorage after we navigated the pass). Awful, too-much-wind and too-much-sea-state sailing where the boat handled herself much better than the humans who are aboard. We had all sails set and debated pulling out the code zero; we made grim forward progress with just the staysail and a double-reefed main.

First sunset at sea

We’re looking forward to staying put for a while, to snorkeling and foiling and paddle boarding and finding the cool anchorages in this atoll.

Flat calm sunset at anchor in the Tuamotus

Too bright to keep my eyes open!